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Weird cookie behaviour

Question asked by OpenCorp Admin on Oct 2, 2018
Latest reply on Oct 4, 2018 by OpenCorp Admin

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Hoping someone can shed light on this weird cookie behaviour where lead record A clicks link in email but lead record B logs the visited webpage. Additional info: Lead ID 476512 already existed in database, lead ID 606533 was newly created. Activity occurred on iPhone.

I've summarised the logs of the two leads into one.

Time	Lead ID	Activity
19/09/2018 13:14	606533	filled out form and created
19/09/2018 13:14	606533	sent confirm email
19/09/2018 15:54	606533	clicked link
19/09/2018 15:54	476512	visited webpage
19/09/2018 16:01	606533	clicked link
19/09/2018 15:54	476512	visited webpage

Screenshots below as well:

JD Nelson

Oct 2, 2018 8:23 AM

Correct Answer

Couldn’t they have filled the form but then clicked the email/visit the page from their phone? If the phone was previously cookied it would keep the association...?

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Sanford Whiteman Oct 2, 2018 7:37 AM

It's not necessarily weird at all.

If the session is already associated with Lead B, then clicking a tracked link -- even a mkt_tok-enized tracked link -- sent to Lead A will not reassociate the session.

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OpenCorp Admin @ Sanford Whiteman on Oct 2, 2018 7:54 AM

So I tried recreating the scenario but I couldn't.

I filled out a form as Person A first to associate the browser with Person A

In the same browser, I filled out another form that triggers an email as Person B.

In the same browser, I click on the link in the email sent to Person B

The landing page shows information of Person B.

And this should be expected, that Person B is the last one to fill out a form so the cookie should be associated with Person B

What I'm seeing in those logs, and what I've been told, was that Person B clicks the link in email, but Person A's information showed up pre-filled on the landing page.

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Sanford Whiteman @ OpenCorp Admin on Oct 2, 2018 7:59 AM

In your test, there are 2 forms filled out.

If there in reality was only 1 form filled out, the original association from that form will remain. That would be expected, non-weird behavior.

was that Person B clicks the link in email, but Person A's information showed up pre-filled on the landing page.

Depends on how Pre-Fill is being done. In the default setup this will not happen because the Pre-Fill will be drawn from the currently associated lead. In advanced scenarios the Pre-Fill may deliberately be overwritten via information in the URL.

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OpenCorp Admin @ Sanford Whiteman on Oct 2, 2018 6:45 PM

Prefill is default Marketo landing page form prefill

If there in reality was only 1 form filled out, the original association from that form will remain. That would be expected, non-weird behavior.

"1 form filled out" - are referring to what was filled out by the already existent lead. However, the newer lead was created by filling out a form as well... So regardless what the case is, the newer lead filling out the form should have overwritten any previous cookie.

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Sanford Whiteman @ OpenCorp Admin on Oct 2, 2018 6:50 PM

the newer lead filling out the form should have overwritten any previous cookie.

Not "overwritten the cookie" but "changed the lead association for the existing cookie" is the way I would put it. Note this change is not instantaneous, but typically completes in under a few seconds. Because it is asynchronous there is no guarantee that it will be complete by the very next pageview.

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JD Nelson

Oct 2, 2018 8:23 AM

Couldn’t they have filled the form but then clicked the email/visit the page from their phone? If the phone was previously cookied it would keep the association...?

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OpenCorp Admin @ JD Nelson on Oct 2, 2018 6:46 PM

This is something I'd have to test and find out.

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OpenCorp Admin @ JD Nelson on Oct 4, 2018 10:09 PM

As tested this was found to be the case

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8 Replies

Sanford Whiteman Oct 2, 2018 7:37 AM
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Correct Answer
It's not necessarily weird at all.

If the session is already associated with Lead B, then clicking a tracked link -- even a mkt_tok-enized tracked link -- sent to Lead A will not reassociate the session.
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- OpenCorp Admin @ Sanford Whiteman on Oct 2, 2018 7:54 AM
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  Correct Answer
  So I tried recreating the scenario but I couldn't.
  
  I filled out a form as Person A first to associate the browser with Person A
  In the same browser, I filled out another form that triggers an email as Person B.
  In the same browser, I click on the link in the email sent to Person B
  The landing page shows information of Person B.
  
  And this should be expected, that Person B is the last one to fill out a form so the cookie should be associated with Person B
  What I'm seeing in those logs, and what I've been told, was that Person B clicks the link in email, but Person A's information showed up pre-filled on the landing page.
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  - Sanford Whiteman @ OpenCorp Admin on Oct 2, 2018 7:59 AM
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    In your test, there are 2 forms filled out.
    
    If there in reality was only 1 form filled out, the original association from that form will remain. That would be expected, non-weird behavior.
    
    was that Person B clicks the link in email, but Person A's information showed up pre-filled on the landing page.
    Depends on how Pre-Fill is being done. In the default setup this will not happen because the Pre-Fill will be drawn from the currently associated lead. In advanced scenarios the Pre-Fill may deliberately be overwritten via information in the URL.
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    - OpenCorp Admin @ Sanford Whiteman on Oct 2, 2018 6:45 PM
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      Correct Answer
      Prefill is default Marketo landing page form prefill
      
      If there in reality was only 1 form filled out, the original association from that form will remain. That would be expected, non-weird behavior.
      "1 form filled out" - are referring to what was filled out by the already existent lead. However, the newer lead was created by filling out a form as well... So regardless what the case is, the newer lead filling out the form should have overwritten any previous cookie.
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      - Sanford Whiteman @ OpenCorp Admin on Oct 2, 2018 6:50 PM
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        the newer lead filling out the form should have overwritten any previous cookie.
        Not "overwritten the cookie" but "changed the lead association for the existing cookie" is the way I would put it. Note this change is not instantaneous, but typically completes in under a few seconds. Because it is asynchronous there is no guarantee that it will be complete by the very next pageview.
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JD Nelson Oct 2, 2018 8:23 AM
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Couldn’t they have filled the form but then clicked the email/visit the page from their phone? If the phone was previously cookied it would keep the association...?
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- OpenCorp Admin @ JD Nelson on Oct 2, 2018 6:46 PM
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  This is something I'd have to test and find out.
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- OpenCorp Admin @ JD Nelson on Oct 4, 2018 10:09 PM
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  As tested this was found to be the case
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